Flightless Beauties

Many thanks to BC Highland Branch member Jane Bowman for sending in her wonderful photographs of the females of two of the moth species in which the females are naturally flightless - the Belted Beauty (pictured top right) and the Rannoch Brindled Beauty (pictured below right). Despite the lack of wings which adorn the males, these creatures are exquisite.

Jane recorded these at the end of March 2014. She says: "Rannoch Brindled Beauty I was quite surprised to find this early in the glen, on old, lichen-encrusted fence post on higher ground. Just the one for now. The other photo ( mossy background ) is a Belted Beauty I’ve included as contrast to Rannoch Brindled Beauty."

Jane remarked that the Belted Beauty female was surprisingly smaller than the Rannoch Brindled Beauty.